Safety

Smallpox vaccination program grinds to a halt

Emergency Management Alert, October 28, 2003

Federal health officials conceded last week that the smallpox vaccination program for health care workers has essentially stopped in its tracks, USA Today reports.

During an update on October 15 to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) advisory committee on vaccines, Ray Strikas, director of smallpox preparedness and response at the CDC's National Immunization Program, said the program has ceased because of inactivity, not a ruling from any authority.

The CDC initially hoped to vaccinate 450,000 health care workers, but only 38,549 had been vaccinated as of press time. The pace of new vaccinations dropped quickly in April after reports emerged of unexpected heart problems associated with the vaccine.

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